Recensori in anteprima

Set in the 1940s, this is the story of how Henry McAllan took his new bride Laura to a small Georgia town to raise a family and farm the land, just as the celebrated veterans of World War II, both white and black, returned home-including Henry's brother, Jamie, and the tenant family's son, Ronsel. Not all soldiers were equally appreciated, as it turns out, and as Ronsel learns, some lines, especially among men and women, could never be crossed. Though the McAllans consider themselves enlightened and educated, they manage to become embroiled in and unwittingly abet a tragedy on the grandest scale. In this moving novel, winner of the prestigious Bellwether Prize for addressing issues of social justice (awarded by Barbara Kingsolver), every level of white society is complicit in sustaining the racial divide and, more, is willing to turn a blind eye to the most violent acts, even when they claim they are not. As Barbara Kingsolver said: "The story took me straight into another world. The writing is often lit with grace, and carries the moral authority and dedication to craft that I've hoped all along to reward with this project."